AIG Chief Undone by Lost Credibility, Frustrated Investors

Before he lost the confidence of big-name investors and his company’s board members, Peter Hancock squandered the faith of many of his staff. It was November 2015, after a disappointing quarter for American International Group Inc., and Hancock — then a year into his tenure as chief executive officer — told employees they shouldn’t count on lifetime jobs.

After escaping net neutrality probe, Verizon expands data cap exemptions

Just a few weeks after escaping a net neutrality investigation into data cap exemptions, Verizon has decided to let its FiOS mobile video stream on its wireless network without counting against data caps. Customers who have Verizon FiOS TV at home and a Verizon Wireless smartphone plan can watch TV outside their homes without using up the data allotments on limited mobile plans, the company announced today .

AT&T Outage Takes Down 911 Emergency Lines across the US

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Delta’s CEO Sounds Optimistic Note for 2017; Hopes to Meet Buffett

Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Ed Bastian on Thursday sounded an optimistic note for 2017 earnings and said he expects to meet soon with the company’s newest and biggest investor, billionaire Warren Buffett. Two months ago Delta announced last year’s record-breaking performance, but noted that higher fuel prices and wage costs could weigh on margins during the March quarter before they expand again in the second half of the year.

Andrew Puzder: Carla s Jr. Racy Ads Saved the Company

In an exclusive interview with Neil Cavuto on the FOX Business Network , CKE Restaurants CEO Andrew Puzder said the suggestive ad campaigns starring female celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum saved the company. CKE’s franchises, which include Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., were infamous for using racy ads that generated backlash from women and other groups who found it demeaning and sexist.

Wall Street Stuck in Place as Investors Wait for February Jobs Report

Wall Street churned around the flatline for much of the day with investors reluctant to commit to any one direction until the release of Friday’s highly anticipated jobs report. Wall Street churned around the flatline for much of the day with investors reluctant to commit to any one direction until the release of Friday’s highly-anticipated jobs report.

Meredith Buying Time May Be Its Safest Route to Really Going Digital

Time has begun to show signs that legacy print publishers can transition to digital from print, but merging with Meredith may be the best way to get there. Experience matters, and reports that Time is no longer being pursued by an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. should come as a welcome sign for a company that would probably be best served if its new owners have first-hand knowledge of the digital magazine business.

Amidst Fierce Competition, Target Is Unlikely to Recover Soon

Bricks-and-mortar, retail giant Target Corp has seen its shares plummet about 24% year to date year-to-date, under-performing rivals like Wal-Mart and Costco , and even minnows such as Dollar Tree and Dollar General . Despite the company’s intent to focus more on digital commerce , doubts remain surrounding the company’s strategy for reviving earnings .

Trump’s Run of Dumb Luck

How quickly Washington forgets. It was only two weeks ago that the biggest story in the nation’s capital was how President Donald Trump’s aides were pressuring the FBI and allies in Congress to shoot down the stories whirling around about his associates’ ties to Russia.

Airbnb Closes $1 Billion Funding Round With War Chest for Growth

Airbnb Inc. closed a funding round of more than $1 billion, valuing the home-sharing startup at about $31 billion, according to three people familiar with the company. In December, Bloomberg first reported the company’s plans to increase the funding it was seeking by authorizing the sale of an additional $153 million in equity.

FCC probing AT&T’s Wednesday night 911 outage

The Federal Communications Commission says it is investigating why AT&T cellphone customers were unable to call 911 in several states on Wednesday night. Law enforcement and government agencies in Texas, Florida, Tennessee and other states reported the problem and provided alternate numbers for people to call during emergencies.

Illinois budget impasse increasingly hurts universities: Moody’s

Illinois’ record-breaking budget impasse, which has led to sporadic funding for higher education, is increasingly pressuring the finances and competitiveness of state universities, Moody’s Investors Service said on Thursday. The credit rating agency said the lack of complete state funding has forced schools to take “considerable steps,” including cutting academic programs and raising tuition, in order to keep operating and preserve financial liquidity.

AT&T Outage Takes Down 911 Emergency Lines across the US

Millions of AT&T customers were left without 911 service for several hours last night. The outage appeared to have affected wireless customers across the country, with reports that customers were unable to reach emergency services in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle, among other areas.

Trump Says Community Banks Help ‘Create Jobs’

U.S. President Donald Trump met with small community bankers on Thursday to learn more about their difficulties in complying with the tougher Dodd-Frank financial regulations enacted after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The listening session was aimed at helping the Trump administration craft a legislative plan to ease the regulatory burdens on small banks to try to unlock more small business lending and fuel economic growth, a senior White House official told Reuters.

Yes, President Trump Really can Boost Bank ETFs

The Financial Select Sector SPDR , the largest financial services exchange traded fund, is up 6.3% year-to-date, bringing its one-year gain to almost 40%. As has been widely noted, politics are playing a part in lifting the financial services sector, the second-largest sector weight in the S&P 500.

Wall St Fights to Hold on to Gains as Oil Slips Again

U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as gains in bank stocks were countered by the second day of losses in energy shares, a day before the crucial monthly jobs report that would bolster already sky-high odds of a rate hike next week. Fueling the rise in bank stocks was a report that showed the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to 243,000 last week, but remained below 300,000 for the 105th week.

Roads, Airports Fare Worst in Civil Engineers’ Infrastructure Report Card

The American Society of Civil Engineers issued poor grades for America’s roads, airports and public transportation in its latest infrastructure report card released Thursday, at the same time President Donald Trump is accelerating his push for $1 trillion in investments. The group, which has long advocated for increased spending on infrastructure projects, gave U.S. infrastructure an overall grade of D+, the same grade given in the ASCE’s last report in 2013.

Fed: U.S. Household Net Worth Rose to $92.8T in 4Q

A continued rise in U.S. equities pushed the net worth of U.S. households to $92.8 trillion in the fourth quarter of last year, a report by the Federal Reserve showed on Thursday. Household net worth rose $2 trillion over the quarter, up from a slightly revised $90.7 trillion in the previous period.

FCC probing AT&T’s Wednesday night 911 outage7 minutes ago

The Federal Communications Commission says it is investigating why AT&T cellphone customers were unable to call 911 in several states on Wednesday night. Law enforcement and government agencies in Texas, Florida, Tennessee and other states reported the problem and provided alternate numbers for people to call during emergencies.

New York, London Fighting For Saudi Aramco IPO

Executives from both the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange are fighting to be the primary international listing for the IPO of Saudi Aramco , Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, according to the Financial Times . The two are in a race to house the world’s biggest flotation ever.

European Stocks End Mixed as Hawkish ECB Help Lift

The European Central Bank boosted markets when it sounded a hawkish tone Thursday, but it wasn’t enough to offset earlier losses for some benchmarks. European stocks were mixed on Thursday after a more upbeat European Central Bank helped to boost markets in the afternoon, but this was not enough to lift all benchmarks out of the red.